WASHINGTON/SEATTLE - After nearly two years of scrutiny, corporate upheaval and a stand-off with global regulators, Boeing Co won approval on Wednesday from the US Federal Aviation Administration to fly its 737 Max jet again after two fatal disasters.
The US planemaker's best-selling jet will resume commercial service facing strong headwinds from a resurgent coronavirus pandemic, new European trade tariffs and mistrust of one of the most scrutinised brands in aviation. American Airlines plans to relaunch the first commercial Max flight since the grounding on Dec 29. Southwest Airlines, the world's largest Max operator, does not plan to fly the aircraft until the second quarter of 2021.
When it does fly, Boeing will be running a 24-hour war room to monitor all Max flights for issues that could impact the jet's return, from stuck landing gear to health emergencies, three people familiar with the matter said. "We've done everything humanly possible to make sure" these types of crashes do not happen again, Mr Dickson told Reuters, saying he felt"100 per cent confident" in the plane's safety.
Boeing meanwhile is scrambling to keep up maintenance and find new buyers for many of its mothballed 737 Max jets after receiving cancellations from their original buyers. Demand is further sapped by the coronavirus crisis.